Coming in from the cold - AGE CONCERN Liverpool

AGE Concern Liverpool will be giving a warm welcome to members of the local community with an Energy Day on Wednesday 28 November  2007 between 10am and 3pm.  The Energy Day will take people through a range of energy-saving measures, showing them how to save money while conserving energy over the coming winter months. Professional Age Concern staff will be at hand to speak to people in person and lend their expertise on a range of key issues important to older people when the temperature begins to drop.

Phil Hughes, Business Development Manager at Age Concern Liverpool said:- “Many older people prefer to speak to someone face to face, and for older people who have to make every penny count, the opportunity of having first hand essential information on issues ranging from effective ways of conserving energy in the home to Government benefits including cold weather payments will prove invaluable”.

During the Energy Day, Age Concern Liverpool will be issuing a FREE NHS winter guide ‘Keep Warm Keep Well’ to help people plan for the winter months. The guide offers simple and practical advice on heating the home, information on help with paying bills and home improvement grants.

“We’ll be giving a big, warm welcome to all who take the time to pop in and see us, and we’ll also have staff available to talk through our Energy Services package, developed in association with Powergen which is specifically designed to meet the needs of the older person and aims to help improve energy efficiency in the home”, added Phil Hughes.

If customers opt to switch to Age Concern Energy Services, they will receive a welcome pack including; energy saving light bulbs, a year’s supply of carbon monoxide detectors, free hypothermia thermometer and other useful items.  As temperatures start to plummet and heating equipment is turned on for the first time this winter, carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of faulty household gas appliances could present a deadly threat to older people. Age Concern advise that all boilers and fires are inspected and serviced regularly and include carbon monoxide detectors in the welcome pack to raise awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home. In addition to the Welcome Pack, customers who switch their energy supply to Age Concern Energy Services by going into Age Concern will receive a battery operated carbon monoxide alarm for additional peace of mind when they switch.

To find out more about the Energy Day, call 0151 330 5555 or visit Age Concern Liverpool at 5 Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool, L1 6BW.  For further information please contact Phil Hughes on 0151 330 5599

HOLLYOAKS STARS ‘PAINT IT PINK’ IN SUPPORT OF THE GENESIS APPEAL

THE glamourous cast of teen soap Hollyoaks is showing its support for north-west based charity, The Genesis Appeal,  the only UK charity dedicated entirely to the prevention of breast cancer, by ‘Painting it Pink’.

Currently, 1 in 10 women is expected to develop breast cancer. The aim of The Genesis Appeal is to create a future without breast cancer, by making 1 in 10, none in 10. In July 2007, The Genesis Appeal saw the opening of The Nightingale Centre and Genesis Prevention Centre, sited at Wythenshawe hospital. The £14 million, state-of-the-art centre was funded by £2 million raised by the appeal, with the remaining £12 million funded by the NHS.

Posing outside the soap’s infamous ‘Dog In The Pond’ pub, cast members Emma Rigby, Hannah Tointon, Sinead Moynihan, and Claire Cooper, were only too happy to get involved in the initiative and raise awareness for the charity.

Sinead Moynihan, who plays Hollyoaks Village newcomer Beth Clement, said:- “The cast are really keen to support The Genesis Appeal’s aim to create a future without breast cancer. The disease affects so many lives and it’s essential that we find a way of preventing it. We’re proud to join people like Jerry Hall and Kasper Schmeichel who have both ‘Painted it Pink’ for Genesis!”

Genesis Appeal Chairman, Lester Barr, said:- “We’re very pleased that the cast of Hollyoaks has given up its time to support Genesis, and our aim to make 1 in 10, none in 10.”   www.genesisuk.org